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ICE Releases 21 Savage on Bond

“He will not forget this ordeal or any of the other fathers, sons, family members, and faceless people, he was locked up with or that remain unjustly incarcerated across the country.”

After nine days in custody, rapper 21 Savage (legal name: Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph) has been released on bond from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detention. ICE claimed the Atlanta-based rapper, who was born in England, had overstayed his H-4 visa, though his official legal status remains unclear. Though he is released on bond, he is still facing deportation proceedings. Savage's lawyers released a statement on Facebook:

For the past 9 long days, we, on behalf of She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph,
known to the world as 21 Savage, have been speaking with ICE to both
clarify his actual legal standing, his eligibility for bond, and
provide evidence of his extraordinary contributions to his community
and society.

In the last 24 hours, in the wake of the Grammy Awards at which he was
scheduled to attend and perform, we received notice that She’yaa was
granted an expedited hearing.

Today, 21 Savage was granted a release on bond. He won his freedom.

21 Savage asked us to send a special message to his fans and
supporters—he says that while he wasn’t present at the Grammy Awards,
he was there in spirit and is grateful for the support from around the
world and is more than ever, ready to be with his loved ones and
continue making music that brings people together.

He will not forget this ordeal or any of the other fathers, sons,
family members, and faceless people, he was locked up with or that
remain unjustly incarcerated across the country. And he asks for your
hearts and minds to be with them.

Charles Kuck Dina Laporte and Alex Spiro.

That 21 Savage is from England came as a shock to many fans, as his music and image are deeply tied to Atlanta. 21 Savage's lawyers previously said that his visa had lapsed when he was a child, and that he was in the process of applying for a new one when he was arrested, something many immigrants have faced recently. Some see 21 Savage's arrest as ICE's attempt to send a threat to brown and black immigrants, and a deeply unfair and targeted application of the law. But as Max Cea wrote for GQ just last week, "if 21’s arrest was meant to send a message that no one is free from the tyranny of a broken immigration system, it may well backfire by shining a light on the tyranny itself."